Arranged Perfection
by MayorRegina
Summary: Narcissa remembers a time when her arranged marriage to Lucius seemed nothing but negative. Narcissa/Lucius oneshot.


First Narcissa/Lucius oneshot. Just something I've been thinking about. Please review, it'll mean a lot. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer - I don't own these beautiful characters, they belong to JKR** :)

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**Arranged Perfection**

Lucius was everything she had imagined and more. It was perfection. Although, how an arranged marriage could result in such perfection was beyond Narcissa's understanding. All she could think of now was how foolish she had been to even consider being against it in the first place.

Fair enough, she had been young and naive when her mother had come to her in the dead of night and told her of the arrangements, making her swear to act as though she had no idea about any of it. When she was first told, she cried for three weeks, refusing to speak to her mother for two months and remaining hostile towards her for almost a year. And she had to admit, it had been awkward at first to see Lucius around school, both of them knowing that the other knew, but still unable to discuss it, staring dejectedly at each other on occasions. It had been agonising. They had hated each other and it had pained her everyday to know that she would soon be married to that egotistical child.

Oh how wrong she had been.

If she mentally broke down the carefully built barriers of denial she had placed around herself throughout her time at Hogwarts, she realised that her hate for the blond boy was merely to cover up a small crush that had been developing steadily over the years, influenced by the fact that she had no choice in her future anymore. Knowing that she was going to be spending the rest of her life with him she had taken the time to watch him and learn as much about him as possible. For example, she knew the exact shade of emerald that he loved, and that he always had coffee in the mornings after his copy of the _Daily Prophet_ had arrived and before he ate. She also knew that his eyes were the most perfect shade of grey imaginable, and one could easily get lost in them if one stared for too long into their hidden depths. She knew that he preferred to shower in the mornings rather than before bed, and that his favourite class at school was Defence Against the Dark Arts. She had had no idea that he had done the same, and refused adamantly to admit her feelings, even to herself.

In Lucius' final year at school however, both had grown tired of their shared promise to act as though they had no idea about their upcoming marriage. It appeared that both had decided to learn to love each other to make their future seem more bearable. Both were aware that arranged marriages in pureblood society were based on social status and money, but both wanted more than that. Narcissa had always dreamt of marrying a man she loved and cared for, and Lucius had secretly wanted to marry for the same reasons.

They didn't know how it had happened or when they had started feeling this way, but something had changed over the summer and the relationship that was once awkward was now bliss. They found themselves entwined together in an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express, kissing passionately, and feeling happier than ever before. Narcissa revelled in the fact that Lucius had made the first move, pulling her tenderly by the hand with him into the empty compartment and then cupping her thin face with both hands. Her stomach had fluttered wildly with nerves and excitement when he drew nearer, pressing his lips hesitantly to hers but keeping his grey eyes fixed firmly on her blue ones, clearly fearful of how she would react. She almost laughed out loud at his slight shock when she closed her eyes and wound her arms tightly around his neck, willing him to pull her closer. And he did. Gently, as if he were worried he may break her delicate body, he slid one hand down to the small of her back while the other knotted itself in the hair at the back of her neck, and pulled her as close as he could. Narcissa had never felt so ecstatic in her entire life, and she was now aware that Lucius had felt the same.

Now, lying awake next to Lucius in the middle of the night, propped up on her elbows, she felt a twinge of those butterflies in her stomach as she looked down at his sleeping face. She was glad that she still felt them now, even after ten years of marriage and giving birth to his child. She hoped that she would always feel them every time he looked at her, every time they kissed, every time she stared warmly at his handsome face. It was a feeling she never wanted to get used to.

She slowly reached out and ran her fingers lightly through his blond hair, smiling affectionately to herself. She let out a small squeal of shock when his hand flashed up and caught her wrist, pulling her hand to his mouth and planting a small peck on her palm before dragging it back below the covers and refusing to let go.

"I love you," she whispered, laying her head on his muscular chest and stifling a yawn.

"I love you too, pet," he mumbled back, voice thick with sleep.

She would never grow tired of hearing him say that. Sleepily, she titled her head up and kissed his cheek, her head swimming with happy memories. Snuggled against him, she drifted into a deep sleep, feeling like the luckiest woman in the world and hoping that nothing would ever change.


End file.
